Beer Bourbon & BBQ...oh my!!!

After reviewing my notes from this Saturday afternoon's Beer Bourbon &  BBQ Festival's "Bacon Bash" afternoon session I can't believe I actually ate & drank as much as I did. The key I guess was a combo of small to moderate sampling while being in constant motion (w/the exception of the Buffalo Trace Bourbon Class) thus burning calories & alcohol along the way. Much like Dorothy I started this adventure caught up in a maelstrom & deposited in a fantasy world. Once arrived I converted to the Lion...but one with courage as I made my way from one Beer, Bourbon BBQ sample to the next. Along the way at times I alternated from turning into the Scarecrow as my brain melted away into a blissful bourbon & beer fueled haze then into the Tin Man as all the Bacon & Pork hit my heart (I think my heart is either contemplating suicide or throwing a coup de'etat it's so mad at me right now). In the end I persevered & even survived a Zombie Apocalypse with the T-shirt to prove it!

Before I describe my journey into bourbon beer hog heaven...let me share a little tip. When you attend like events during the winter & need to bundle up...wear a ski shell & polar-tech that you can stuff in a back-back. You don't lose time waiting forever on line to check your jacket in & wait even longer to get it back. At the end, pull your jacket out...fill backpack w/events treats...go on your way....

My journey begins with a sample of INNIS & GUNN oak aged rum cask beer,  a shot of Jones Soda Bacon Soda (w/ a good dark rum or bourbon this would make an interesting substitution for cola), great apple hickory smoked baby back ribs from the Southern Hospitality Group (yes you can get gets ribs in the UES!), then onto my first samples of 4 different bacon's...Maple Bacon & Everyday Bacon...OK I need something green & healthy so a quick stop at Best Pickles for some Red Flannel(w/red peppers & Horseradish pickles to clean the palate. A brief break from food is taken while I sample Blue Point Winter Ale followed by some Mama's Little Yella Pils from Osker Blues Brewery...time to soak up the beer...w a delicious mini pulled pork w/cole slaw slider from Bubby's and a Speakeasy Prohibition beer...which was right next to the Wild Turkey booth for some American Honey bourbon...yummy...oh look Kloby's (my understanding is that they supplied the bacon stands) has a pulled pork sandwich...great plus the pork was on only the botton half of the mini role...carb conscious BBQ! Now what do we have here...a table full of hot sauces from Torchbearer Sauces of PA. These were awesome & what I really like about their product was that they were very hot...but flavorful. I sampled quite a few & made it all the way to the 2nd hottest bottle called Zombie Apocalypse made w/ the Bhut Jolokia aka Ghost Pepper (if you like heat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_Jolokia_pepper).  I saved their Rapture sauce made from Trinidad Scorpion and the Ghost Chili for the end once my taste buds were a bit more numb. It was still very hot & I like hot. From there I hit South Houston for some Bacon Meatballs in bourbon apple sauce, BLT soup, & some crazy awesome bacon bourbon brown sugar popcorn! That was all washed down with the help of some Black Cannon beer from Heavy Seas Brewery. Whew...ok time for some more healthy greens in the form of collard greens with smoked hamhock from Bourbon Street Grille. At this point I needed to find some redemption from my gluttony & I found some in the form of Redemption Rye & Bourbon. I tried some of Dirt cajun seasonings sample in dip form & then sipped some Cabin Fever Maple Whisky (thinking this would be nice in some coffee & better in some hot chocolate). Time for some more food...something rib sticking (no-pun intended) to soak up the beverage samples...Mara's Homemade bacon jalapeno cheese grits washed down w/Heavy Seas Loose Cannon IPA.



Now was time for a quick break so I sampled from Bourbon Trace some Benchmark, Buffalo Trace & Blantons before I went to their Master Distiller Session. As I got to the section I hear them counting off 80 something & with a few in front I figure I'm in....wrong! 83...line ends here. I figured I'm good so why push past anyone. Well dear reader...patience paid off...the Ladies working the session kept checking for seats & there was one left (I made sure it was clear I was up first & it turned out last). Aside from  picking up yet another nickname "Writer-Guy" I learned the following. For instance Moon Shine, White Lighting, White Dog is pretty much corn mash before it's aged. So you can kinda think of it as the egg in the womb before it gets "treated" by some good hard wood....generally from the Ozark Mountains & ages into yummy Bourbon. Now most Bourbon is made out of Corn, Rye, & Malted Barley. There is also what is known as Wheated barley which substitutes wheat for Rye. For the class we had 4 samples to smell, taste, swirl, & repeat...also remember you swallow...don't spit. The Master Distiller was pretty serious on this point as you would well imagine.

• Weller 12yr  - This is a wheated bourbon that while smooth & tasty had the most burn of those sampled
• Blantons 7yr - Single Barrel - This was very good, little fruity w/some nice spice to it
• Buffalo Trace - 8yr This was my favorite from this group. It was smooth with a nice spicy fruity carmel flavor that had a great nice slow burn that smoldered on your tongue in a good way. The name by the way comes from the pathway called traces left by Buffalo crossing the Kentucky River (I was in Scarecrow mode at this point...hope I got this right)
• Eagle Rare 11yr - was very smooth & tasty...yet I like the Trace & it's slow burn best

 One last little fact...Bourbon evaporates 3% every year...so if you wonder why some of the more aged Bourbons can get expensive do the math. Plus the tax implications that the Master Distiller described were unbelievable...


Now that I had been sitting down enraptured in Bourbon & it's lore it was time to try some more samples with the hour I had left. As best as I remember I got a sample of Goose Island Pepe Nero & sampled Jalapeno Bacon & Bourbon Bacon. All the bacon was great but the Bourbon was best...yes I know...shocking. Palm Wit Ale was followed by Stiegl of Austria Franziskaner...some more of that South Houston popcorn & then some La Trappe Trappist ale. I then sampled some Brunswick Stew from The Little Red Pig w/some Abita Andygator & Butternuts Heinnieweisse (makers of Pork Slap). I had spied High West's booth earlier but was thrown off when I saw it is made in all of places ...Utah. While their bourbon was good it was their Silver that was one of the festivals surprises. I figured it t be moonshine but when a guy next to me was raving about it I figured I'd try it. Think the bourbon equivalent of a very good Silver Tequila like Patron or Milagro. I believe at this point I had a Smuttynose Bown Dog followed up by another High West Silver. With the show over....well sated  with a good mellow buzz I pulled my jacket out from my backpack, filled it with my Torchbearer Tarnatation & Zombie Apocalypse hot sauces & t-shirt and walked right by the giant line of fellow Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival enthusiasts waiting for their coats & went on my merry way.

If dear reader you have any interest in any of the products sampled please look them up on the festivals website http://www.beerandbourbon.com/new-york/show-info  Of special note, I was able to speak with a lot of the chefs & vendors & everybody was great, friendly & very knowledgeable. Remember all... you can enjoy all the above as long as you do so in moderation...while staying in motion with few breaks...